You don't say? Bar subbing cheap versions of various liquor for their more expensive counterparts and charging the premium alcohol price? That's not news, it's business as usual, these guys just got caught.

<i>Because people expect to go to a strip club to get cheap drinks?</i>

If the women dancing are actually women until a penis falls out and you realize they are pre-op you would feel a little ripped off because after dropping $5 on sniffers row, you don't want her to take you to the VIP room anymore.

uncleacid:If you order a mixed drink you are most likely getting the cheap stuff no matter what the bottle says.

Truth.

CSB: A buddy of mine, Mike, used to tend bar in a neighborhood joint in a not-so-nice part of town. The owner's express directions regarding mixing anything and Coke? "If they're ordering top-shelf and Coke, mix in whatever brown liquor is on hand, charge them for what they ordered."

Henney-n-Coke became Old-Crow-n-Coke, et cetera.

According to Mike, in three years of his working there, nobody ever complained.

Moral of the story? Don't order mixed drinks -- get a bottled beer, you're less likely to be screwed.

Tallman:uncleacid: If you order a mixed drink you are most likely getting the cheap stuff no matter what the bottle says.

Truth.

CSB: A buddy of mine, Mike, used to tend bar in a neighborhood joint in a not-so-nice part of town. The owner's express directions regarding mixing anything and Coke? "If they're ordering top-shelf and Coke, mix in whatever brown liquor is on hand, charge them for what they ordered."

Henney-n-Coke became Old-Crow-n-Coke, et cetera.

According to Mike, in three years of his working there, nobody ever complained.

Moral of the story? Don't order mixed drinks -- get a bottled beer, you're less likely to be screwed.

I've always gotten captain and coke and have yet to see it sub'd with something different unless they are mixing bottles in the back, well captain isn't very expensive but if you can see them do the pour you can tell unless they are doing what this club did which would end up screwing the bar when they get caught.

So you have to ask yourself is that extra $.50 a shot really worth your liquor license?

Tallman:uncleacid: If you order a mixed drink you are most likely getting the cheap stuff no matter what the bottle says.

Truth.

CSB: A buddy of mine, Mike, used to tend bar in a neighborhood joint in a not-so-nice part of town. The owner's express directions regarding mixing anything and Coke? "If they're ordering top-shelf and Coke, mix in whatever brown liquor is on hand, charge them for what they ordered."

Henney-n-Coke became Old-Crow-n-Coke, et cetera.

According to Mike, in three years of his working there, nobody ever complained.

Moral of the story? Don't order mixed drinks -- get a bottled beer, you're less likely to be screwed.

Or get something that can't be mistaken for something else. When I order something other than beer at a bar, it's almost universally Chambord or Rumpleminze. Nothing else tastes like either or those (fermented honey and mint flavored kerosene, respectively)

Or you can just know the taste of what you're ordering and not have to worry about being tricked. More than once I've returned a "Captain and Coke" that was filled with Bacardi. Sometimes servers assume a popular drink means any brand even though you've specified. Similarly, some servers will bring you a Pepsi when you order a Coke assuming you won't notice the difference.

freeforever:Or you can just know the taste of what you're ordering and not have to worry about being tricked. More than once I've returned a "Captain and Coke" that was filled with Bacardi. Sometimes servers assume a popular drink means any brand even though you've specified. Similarly, some servers will bring you a Pepsi when you order a Coke assuming you won't notice the difference.

TNel:Tallman: uncleacid: If you order a mixed drink you are most likely getting the cheap stuff no matter what the bottle says.Truth.CSB: A buddy of mine, Mike, used to tend bar in a neighborhood joint in a not-so-nice part of town. The owner's express directions regarding mixing anything and Coke? "If they're ordering top-shelf and Coke, mix in whatever brown liquor is on hand, charge them for what they ordered."Henney-n-Coke became Old-Crow-n-Coke, et cetera.According to Mike, in three years of his working there, nobody ever complained.Moral of the story? Don't order mixed drinks -- get a bottled beer, you're less likely to be screwed.

I've always gotten captain and coke and have yet to see it sub'd with something different unless they are mixing bottles in the back, well captain isn't very expensive but if you can see them do the pour you can tell unless they are doing what this club did which would end up screwing the bar when they get caught. So you have to ask yourself is that extra $.50 a shot really worth your liquor license?

Risk: 10-12 day suspension, and promise not to do it again for at least 2 years.Reward: extra 150-700 a night (based on the extra $0.50 a drink listed above)Reward: extra 400-4000 a night (based on my belief that it is more like an extra $2-3 a drink)I fail to see the real risk.

To further the issue, the only reason they got caught was because they didn't have an invoice for their inventory for the last 9 months. I would be willing to bet that if they bought an inventory of good stuff every 3 months, kept just one of those purchases sealed, and made sure the bar back dusts it off once a month, they would be golden (showers - wait strip club not dungeon).

freeforever:Or you can just know the taste of what you're ordering and not have to worry about being tricked. More than once I've returned a "Captain and Coke" that was filled with Bacardi. Sometimes servers assume a popular drink means any brand even though you've specified. Similarly, some servers will bring you a Pepsi when you order a Coke assuming you won't notice the difference.

True! I have a bartender "friend" because I called her on the Herradura she supposedly served me (from an Herradura bottle mind you). Now if I request a specific tequila, she will tell me if I can have it or she will recommend I try something else.

davidab:TNel: Tallman: uncleacid: If you order a mixed drink you are most likely getting the cheap stuff no matter what the bottle says.Truth.CSB: A buddy of mine, Mike, used to tend bar in a neighborhood joint in a not-so-nice part of town. The owner's express directions regarding mixing anything and Coke? "If they're ordering top-shelf and Coke, mix in whatever brown liquor is on hand, charge them for what they ordered."Henney-n-Coke became Old-Crow-n-Coke, et cetera.According to Mike, in three years of his working there, nobody ever complained.Moral of the story? Don't order mixed drinks -- get a bottled beer, you're less likely to be screwed.

I've always gotten captain and coke and have yet to see it sub'd with something different unless they are mixing bottles in the back, well captain isn't very expensive but if you can see them do the pour you can tell unless they are doing what this club did which would end up screwing the bar when they get caught. So you have to ask yourself is that extra $.50 a shot really worth your liquor license?

Risk: 10-12 day suspension, and promise not to do it again for at least 2 years.Reward: extra 150-700 a night (based on the extra $0.50 a drink listed above)Reward: extra 400-4000 a night (based on my belief that it is more like an extra $2-3 a drink)I fail to see the real risk.

To further the issue, the only reason they got caught was because they didn't have an invoice for their inventory for the last 9 months. I would be willing to bet that if they bought an inventory of good stuff every 3 months, kept just one of those purchases sealed, and made sure the bar back dusts it off once a month, they would be golden (showers - wait strip club not dungeon).

Negative press usually means less people will go to your bar since you have been known to cheat customers. Maybe I'm not in that more money mentality.

TNel:Tallman: uncleacid: If you order a mixed drink you are most likely getting the cheap stuff no matter what the bottle says.

Truth.

CSB: A buddy of mine, Mike, used to tend bar in a neighborhood joint in a not-so-nice part of town. The owner's express directions regarding mixing anything and Coke? "If they're ordering top-shelf and Coke, mix in whatever brown liquor is on hand, charge them for what they ordered."

Henney-n-Coke became Old-Crow-n-Coke, et cetera.

According to Mike, in three years of his working there, nobody ever complained.

Moral of the story? Don't order mixed drinks -- get a bottled beer, you're less likely to be screwed.

I've always gotten captain and coke and have yet to see it sub'd with something different unless they are mixing bottles in the back

That kind of switch is almost always done in the back. You don't even have to let all your staff in on it that way.

The investigators reported finding in storage 40 open bottles of "higher cost or more expensive brands of liquor such as Grey Goose vodka, Bacardi rum, and Southern Comfort whiskey" with pourers, and sealed bottles of less expensive brands, "such as Sobieski vodka, Ron Robert rum and Southern Host whiskey."

The report stated that "administrative review of invoices revealed that several of higher cost or more expensive brands of liquor had not been purchased in the previous nine months, while the less expensive brands had been purchased; ... however, were not available for sale at the bar area."

The two paragraphs say different things. Must be an error. They should have pourers on the cheap brands and have sealed expensive brands.

Stoker:The two paragraphs say different things. Must be an error. They should have pourers on the cheap brands and have sealed expensive brands

No, that's not how this con works. You save the money by NOT buying any more sealed expensive brands. You buy one bottle of Grey Goose, with the tax stamp on it, open it and put the pourer in. Then over the next 9 months you don't buy anymore Grey Goose, you just buy Sobieski. When the Grey Goose runs out you go to the back and get your sealed bottle of Sobieski, pour it into the Grey Goose bottle, rinse and repeat.

The second paragraph is saying that not only were they buying the Sobieski and putting it into the Grey Goose, but they weren't even putting the Sobieski out in the bar area as their well brand. Which made the ABCC inspectors wonder wth are they buying so much of the stuff over the last 9 months?

dalton642:Stoker: The two paragraphs say different things. Must be an error. They should have pourers on the cheap brands and have sealed expensive brands

No, that's not how this con works. You save the money by NOT buying any more sealed expensive brands. You buy one bottle of Grey Goose, with the tax stamp on it, open it and put the pourer in. Then over the next 9 months you don't buy anymore Grey Goose, you just buy Sobieski. When the Grey Goose runs out you go to the back and get your sealed bottle of Sobieski, pour it into the Grey Goose bottle, rinse and repeat.

The second paragraph is saying that not only were they buying the Sobieski and putting it into the Grey Goose, but they weren't even putting the Sobieski out in the bar area as their well brand. Which made the ABCC inspectors wonder wth are they buying so much of the stuff over the last 9 months?

At least they're putting booze back in the bottles. In my youth, I played the road houses at State Line Idaho. If you went into one called The Black Dog during the afternoon to set up your gear, you could watch the bar tenders split a bottle of bottom-shelf into 2 or 3 bottles and fill the rest with water. (brown stuff got a little food coloring)

That's how they managed to sell 10 cent well drinks on Sundays and Mondays. The drinking age was 19 back then but 21 in Washington next door, so there was a constant stream of teenagers crossing the border every night, none of whom actually knew what booze was supposed to taste like, so they were easy marks.

TNel:davidab: TNel: Tallman: uncleacid: If you order a mixed drink you are most likely getting the cheap stuff no matter what the bottle says.Truth.CSB: A buddy of mine, Mike, used to tend bar in a neighborhood joint in a not-so-nice part of town. The owner's express directions regarding mixing anything and Coke? "If they're ordering top-shelf and Coke, mix in whatever brown liquor is on hand, charge them for what they ordered."Henney-n-Coke became Old-Crow-n-Coke, et cetera.According to Mike, in three years of his working there, nobody ever complained.Moral of the story? Don't order mixed drinks -- get a bottled beer, you're less likely to be screwed.

I've always gotten captain and coke and have yet to see it sub'd with something different unless they are mixing bottles in the back, well captain isn't very expensive but if you can see them do the pour you can tell unless they are doing what this club did which would end up screwing the bar when they get caught. So you have to ask yourself is that extra $.50 a shot really worth your liquor license?

Risk: 10-12 day suspension, and promise not to do it again for at least 2 years.Reward: extra 150-700 a night (based on the extra $0.50 a drink listed above)Reward: extra 400-4000 a night (based on my belief that it is more like an extra $2-3 a drink)I fail to see the real risk.

To further the issue, the only reason they got caught was because they didn't have an invoice for their inventory for the last 9 months. I would be willing to bet that if they bought an inventory of good stuff every 3 months, kept just one of those purchases sealed, and made sure the bar back dusts it off once a month, they would be golden (showers - wait strip club not dungeon).

Negative press usually means less people will go to your bar since you have been known to cheat customers. Maybe I'm not in that more money mentality.

TNel:ar since you have been known to cheat customers. Maybe I'm not in that more money mentality

agreed. any reputation you develop will have an effect on your business. now that they have been caught cheating their business will suffer accordingly. however that did not stop this bar from cheating in the first place.